Bangkok in 3 Days: The Lucalvry Itinerary

Day 1

Temples, river, Chinatown

1. 7.30am

   Hotel breakfast and a long-tail boat from your river hotel pier (or a 15-minute taxi fr…

   Hotel breakfast and a long-tail boat from your river hotel pier (or a 15-minute taxi from a Sukhumvit base) to the Tha Tien pier for Wat Pho.

2. 8.30am

   Wat Pho, the Reclining Buddha temple — gates open at 8am, the Reclining Buddha hall is…

   Wat Pho, the Reclining Buddha temple — gates open at 8am, the Reclining Buddha hall is briefly empty in the first half-hour. Allow ninety minutes including the Thai-massage school annex if you want to schedule a one-hour treatment for later in the trip.

3. 10.30am

   Cross the river by ten-baht ferry to Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn — the central prang a…

   Cross the river by ten-baht ferry to Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn — the central prang and its porcelain mosaic exterior are the sight, the climb is steep but rewarding, allow forty-five minutes.

4. 12.00pm

   Cross back to the Tha Tien side and walk five minutes to Pak Khlong Talat (the flower m…

   Cross back to the Tha Tien side and walk five minutes to Pak Khlong Talat (the flower market) for a quick walk-through. Lunch at Err Urban Rustic Thai or, if open, the riverside Lhong 1919 — both are 10 minutes' walk from the river.

5. 3.00pm

   Reset at the hotel — Bangkok afternoons between 2 and 5 are the time the city itself re…

   Reset at the hotel — Bangkok afternoons between 2 and 5 are the time the city itself rests. Use the pool.

6. 5.30pm

   River-front cocktail at the Mandarin Oriental's Bamboo Bar, Capella's Stella, or the Pe…

   River-front cocktail at the Mandarin Oriental's Bamboo Bar, Capella's Stella, or the Peninsula's River Café — pick whichever is closest to your hotel. The 6.15pm sunset over the Chao Phraya is the canonical Bangkok view.

7. 7.30pm

   Taxi to Yaowarat (Chinatown) and walk Soi Texas

   Taxi to Yaowarat (Chinatown) and walk Soi Texas. Dinner at Jay Fai if you can secure the queue (Michelin-star street omelette and crab curry, queue from 6pm or have a hotel concierge hold a spot), or T&K Seafood for the more reliable Chinatown street experience. Continue with dessert and Thai coffee at Mae Varee on the western edge of Yaowarat.

8. 11.00pm

   Walk back to your hotel through Charoen Krung if the river is your base, or taxi back t…

   Walk back to your hotel through Charoen Krung if the river is your base, or taxi back to Sukhumvit. End the day at the hotel bar.

Day 2

Grand Palace, Jim Thompson, dinner in Sukhumvit

1. 8.00am

   Long-tail boat or taxi to the Grand Palace (entrance from Tha Chang)

   Long-tail boat or taxi to the Grand Palace (entrance from Tha Chang). Open at 8.30am — be at the gate by 8.20am for the smoothest entry. Dress code is enforced: long sleeves, long trousers or skirts; no exceptions.

2. 8.45am

   Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (the Emerald Buddha) — two and a half hours covers the m…

   Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (the Emerald Buddha) — two and a half hours covers the main pavilions, the Emerald Buddha hall and the Ramakien murals along the perimeter wall. The complex is at its most overwhelming in the first hour; pace yourself.

3. 11.30am

   Walk north through the Sanam Luang to Khao San (briefly — it's a five-minute look, not…

   Walk north through the Sanam Luang to Khao San (briefly — it's a five-minute look, not a destination) and continue to Banglamphu for lunch at Krua Apsorn (the city's most reliable Old-Town royal-Thai lunch — order the crab omelette).

4. 1.30pm

   Taxi to the Jim Thompson House on Soi Kasem San 2 (off Rama I, near the National Stadiu…

   Taxi to the Jim Thompson House on Soi Kasem San 2 (off Rama I, near the National Stadium BTS). The house tour is forty-five minutes, the gardens another twenty, and the on-site restaurant is a fair lunch fall-back if Krua Apsorn was full.

5. 3.30pm

   Reset at the hotel

   Reset at the hotel. If you booked a Wat Pho massage on Day 1, this is the hour for it.

6. 5.30pm

   BTS or taxi to EmQuartier or CentralWorld for an hour of department-store and food-hall…

   BTS or taxi to EmQuartier or CentralWorld for an hour of department-store and food-hall walking — Gourmet Market in the Emporium basement is the city's best supermarket browse. Coffee at Roast in EmQuartier on the way out.

7. 7.30pm

   Aperitivo at Vesper Cocktail Bar in Thonglor or Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental

   Aperitivo at Vesper Cocktail Bar in Thonglor or Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental.

8. 9.00pm

   Dinner at Le Du (Soi Silom 7, one Michelin star, modern Thai, the most influential dinn…

   Dinner at Le Du (Soi Silom 7, one Michelin star, modern Thai, the most influential dinner in the city right now — book three months ahead) or Sorn (Sukhumvit Soi 26, three Michelin stars, southern Thai, the city's most ambitious tasting menu — book three months ahead). Either is the central Bangkok dinner of any first trip.

Day 3

Chatuchak market morning, sunset rooftop, last evening

Three days is not Bangkok. But three days done in this order is enough to know whether you'll come back — and almost everyone does.

1. 8.00am

   Hotel breakfast

   Hotel breakfast. If your trip falls on a Saturday or Sunday, taxi to Chatuchak Weekend Market for opening at 9am — three hours covers the food and design quadrants without exhaustion. If your trip is mid-week, substitute Or Tor Kor (the city's best year-round food market) for an hour, then continue.

2. 12.30pm

   Lunch at Polo Fried Chicken near Lumpini Park (legendary, twenty-five-minute queue at l…

   Lunch at Polo Fried Chicken near Lumpini Park (legendary, twenty-five-minute queue at lunch, the best fried chicken in Bangkok by any measure) or Eathai in the Central Embassy basement for the curated regional-Thai food court if Polo's queue is unmanageable.

3. 2.30pm

   A canal-boat ride along the Khlong Saen Saep — one of the city's most underrated and un…

   A canal-boat ride along the Khlong Saen Saep — one of the city's most underrated and unscripted afternoons. The eastern stretch from Pratunam to Pratu Nam Bang Kapi is the more interesting half. Allow ninety minutes.

4. 4.30pm

   Reset at the hotel

   Reset at the hotel.

5. 6.30pm

   Sunset rooftop at Vertigo Bar (Banyan Tree, 61st floor — the city's most panoramic outd…

   Sunset rooftop at Vertigo Bar (Banyan Tree, 61st floor — the city's most panoramic outdoor bar) or Sky Bar at the State Tower (the Hangover-era one, busier, but the open-edge view is unique). One drink, then descend.

6. 8.00pm

   A final dinner — Bo.Lan if it's still operating in its current form (the elevated tradi…

   A final dinner — Bo.Lan if it's still operating in its current form (the elevated traditional-Thai pioneer), Gaggan Anand for the theatrical Indian-progressive tasting (book three months ahead), or Saneh Jaan on Wireless Road for the sophisticated regional-Thai standard.

7. 10.30pm

   A nightcap at Tropic City (Charoen Krung, tropical cocktails, Asia's 50 Best regular) o…

   A nightcap at Tropic City (Charoen Krung, tropical cocktails, Asia's 50 Best regular) or Backstage Cocktail Bar in Sukhumvit. End the trip the right way.